Skeleton Crew

Skeleton Crew

by  Dominique Morisseau

Full Length Play, Drama  /  2m, 2f

Powerful and tense, Skeleton Crewis the third of Dominique Morisseau's Detroit cycle trilogy.
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Skeleton Crew

Skeleton Crew

by  Dominique Morisseau

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Skeleton Crew

  • Cast Size

    Cast Size

    2m, 2f
  • Duration

    Duration

    120 minutes (2 hours)
  • Accolades

    Accolades

    From Off-Broadway
  • Audience

    Target Audience

    • Adult

Additional Info

At the start of the Great Recession, one of the last auto stamping plants in Detroit is on shaky ground. Each of the workers have to make choices on how to move forward if their plant goes under. Shanita has to decide how she'll support herself and her unborn child, Faye has to decide how and where she'll live, and Dez has to figure out how to make his ambitious dreams a reality. Power dynamics shift as their manager Reggie is torn between doing right by his work family, and by the red tape in his office. Powerful and tense, Skeleton Crew is the third of Dominique Morisseau's Detroit cycle trilogy.
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Reviews

REVIEWS 

CRITIC'S PICK! "Clifford Odetts' dramas come to mind and so does the great Pittsburgh cycle of August Wilson. But Skeleton Crew is squarely in the tradition of Arthur Miller...A deeply moral and deeply American play." - The New York Times, Read More 

"Morrisseau has heart...Her rough-edged dialogue even has a touch of the street poet." - Variety, Read More 

"Like Lorraine Hansberry and August Wilson before her, Morisseau creates characters who don't merely speak, they sing with the vernacular of their community. Rarely has dialogue ever felt so much like eavesdropping on an actual conversation." - TheatreMania, Read More 

"Unquestionably a strong, formidable work...Theatregoers won't want to miss." - Huffington Post, Read More 

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Videos

  • Skeleton Crew - Atlantic Theatre Company
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Keywords

Friendship, Black/African-American Interest, Economic/Financial Interest

Considerations

Performing Groups

  • College Theatre / Student
  • Professional Theatre
  • Blackbox / Second Stage /Fringe Groups

Cautions

  • Caution Strong Language Strong Language
  • Caution Mild Adult Mild Adult Themes
  • Caution Smoking Smoking

License details

  • Minimum Fee: £55 per performance plus VAT when applicable.

Production

Details

  • Time Period: New Millennium/21st Century
  • Duration: 120 minutes (2 hours)
  • Setting: Detroit, Michigan. Stamping Plant. Winter. Somewhere around year 2008.
  • Features / Contains: Contemporary Costumes / Street Clothes

Casting

2m, 2f
FAYE - Black woman, mid-late 50’s, Working class woman. Tough and a lifetime of dirt beneath her nails. Somewhere, deep compassion.
DEZ - Black man, mid-late 20’s, Working class man. Young hustler, playful, street-savy, and flirtatious.. Somewhere, deeply sensitive.
SHANITA - Black woman, mid-late 20’s, Working class young woman. Pretty but not ruled by it. Hard-working. By-the-books. Believes in the work she does. Also, pregnant. Somewhere, a beautiful dreamer.
REGGIE - Black man, late 30’s. White collar man. Studious. Dedicated. Compassionate. The Foreman. Somewhere, a fire brims
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Cast Attributes

  • Role(s) for Black Actor(s)

Resources

Available Services

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Scripts

Skeleton Crew

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Authors

Dominique Morisseau

Dominique Morisseau

DOMINIQUE MORISSEAU is the author of The Detroit Project (A 3-Play Cycle) which includes the following plays: Skeleton Crew (Atlantic Theater Company), Paradise Blue (Signature Theatre), and Detroit ’67 (Public Theater, Classical Theatre of Harlem and NBT). Additional plays include: Pipeline (Lincoln Center Theatre), ...

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Skeleton Crew premiered at the Atlantic Theatre Company in New York City in January 2016 under the direction of Ruben Santiago-Hudson.

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